Congress Agrees On $41 Million For Armenia, $8 Million For Karabakh, Military Parity

Pallone Outreach to Colleagues and White House Played Vital Role in Restored Assistance and Military Aid Parity

WASHINGTON – The U.S. House and Senate Wednesday agreed upon a far-reaching Fiscal Year 2010 (FY10) spending measure that includes a $41 economic aid package for Armenia, $8 million for “programs and activities” in Nagorno Karabagh, and parity in Foreign Military Financing for Armenia and Azerbaijan, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

These figures were determined by a conference committee, comprised of House and Senate appropriators tasked with reconciling the two versions of the FY10 foreign aid bill. The House measure, overseen by the State-Foreign Operations Subcommittee Chair Nita Lowey (D-NY), included a $48 million allocation for Armenia, $10 for Nagorno Karabagh, and across-the-board parity in military aid to Armenia and Azerbaijan. The Senate version, presided over by the State-Foreign Operations Subcommittee Chair Patrick Leahy (D-VT), set aside just $30 million for Armenia, the figure proposed in President Obama’s budget, and did not include any figures for either aid to Nagorno Karabagh or military aid to Yerevan and Baku. The President’s low aid request for Armenia – which represented a dramatic 39% cut from the previous year, stood in stark contrast to his campaign pledge to maintain aid levels and to foster the growth and development of Armenia. Congress also rolled back President Obama’s request to reverse the long-established policy of maintaining military parity between Armenia and Azerbaijan in terms of Foreign Military Financing. No figures were included in the Conference Report regarding International Military Education and Training.

“We want to thank all our friends, among them Chairwoman Lowey, Frank Pallone, Adam Schiff, Mark Kirk, Steve Rothman, Jesse Jackson, Steve Israel, and Frank Lobiondo, for restoring $11 million of the $18 million reduction in aid to Armenia proposed by the Obama-Biden Administration, and also for setting, for the first time, unrestricted aid to Nagorno Karabagh at $8 million,” said Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the ANCA. “While we remain troubled by the overall decrease in support for Armenia, which is now down to nearly half of what was appropriated just three years ago, we are pleased that military parity in Foreign Military Financing to Armenia and Azerbaijan has been maintained, and that the Committee’s traditional description of aid to Nagorno Karabagh as ‘humanitarian’ has been removed, reflecting a growing appreciation among legislators of the need to implement development programs with these funds.”

Throughout the appropriations process, Congressman Frank Pallone (D-NJ), the founding Co-Chairman of the Armenian Caucus, in addition to his bipartisan outreach to his Congressional colleagues, personally took the lead – through a series of letters, phone calls, and high-level meetings with senior White House and State Department officials – in reaching out to the Obama-Biden Administration in support of pro-Armenia provisions in the foreign aid bill.

Joined by his fellow Caucus members and his Co-Chairman Mark Kirk (R-IL), Congressman Pallone, called on the Administration to work with Senate and House Appropriation Committee leaders to maintain $48 million in U.S. assistance to Armenia, to increase aid to Nagorno Karabagh, and to continue military assistance parity to Armenia and Azerbaijan. In an October 26th letter to the Chairs and Ranking Republicans of the Senate and House foreign aid subcommittees, Congressman Pallone was joined by several dozen Caucus members in reinforcing these points, stressing that, “Armenia’s cooperation in anti-terrorism efforts and its deployment of forces to both Iraq and Kosovo are pivotal to U.S. interests. Armenia has entered into a NATO Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) and has worked closely with both NATO and the Defense Department on a range of bilateral and multilateral agreements, joint training programs, and military exercises.”

The Conference Report includes language, added, by all accounts, at the urging of legislators concerned about Azerbaijan’s escalating war rhetoric, calling upon “all parties to the conflict to refrain from threats of violence and the use of inflammatory rhetoric.” The report also notes the expectation of Congressional appropriators that the Administration must continue to certify that aid to Azerbaijan will not undermine a peaceful settlement to the Karabagh conflict nor be used for offensive purposes against Armenia before it can waive Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act.

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Looks like I’m going to get my Japanese swords after all for Christmas. That idiot Sargezyan should have sent 5,000 troops to Afghanastan to get a lot more American presents. I would love to see some unmaned reaper drones and some state of the art tanks as well and some apache helicopeters and raptors.

Let it be known that no Turk/Azeri will stand on two legs in the liberated Armenian territories. May the Turks/Azeris be relegated to cleaning Europe’s urinals and toilet bowls forever and go to Jahenem as topals.

some left over from that sabway sandwich, 48 miilions to forget the Genocide or what?! what is the concessions this time, you know you dont get it for free, what was the seal under the table? anybody hase an idea baout how much aid Turkey and Azerbaijan get everyyear, anyway the minut you beg and ask for money know that you are under the mersy of the one who is givving you the money. I would rather not take that money.

Glad to hear that Barkev. Let’s not fool ourselves into thinking that members of the senate and house make these decisions out of the goodness of their hearts.
Their jobs depend on how pleased you and I are with their voting pattern and policies.
If it wasn’t for our emails, phone calls and face to face meetings with representatives from the senate and house, I guarantee you Armenia and NK would have been allocated much less.

Compare: Tuesday, both chambers approved aid for Israel, $2.22 billion in aid, which represents the total $2.775 billion slated for the year when combined with the $555 million passed earlier in the year.

Last time Israel came to Camp David to discuss peace with the Palestinian’s ,asked for Billions of Dollars in financial ,military,you name it aid, from the U.S.A Europe,Saudi Arabia and it did get most of it ,without making peace.
Now really Armenian’s is this our price!

It’s pathetic, that congress and the state department are giving us chump change. Since Egypt and Israel cut a peace treaty they have gotten billions and billions of deserved US dollars. Armenia gave up all it’s claims, put the genocide in question and they got nothing except for a cut in aid! Thank you very very much, my tax dollars in action

Lusik, Mgo, Hrair and Andrew you all make excellent points. Indeed its pathetic. It’s as though we have been slotted in the “under 50M” category for whatever reason. After conceeding everything they throw some chump change our way and expect us to jump for joy. Is this the lucrative incentive (a measly 50M), Yerevan fell head over heels for in conceeding everything??????????? 50M is another slap in the face. Thanks but no thanks.

Who knows how exactly these money will be disbursed? My scenario: a) about 10mln will precipitate in pockets of few political marionette-elite; b) lion-portion (about 20mln) will go on expansion of comfortable functioning of “humanitarian” programs planting seeds of guided revolts; c) about 7mln will be spent on show-rooms, exhibitions and nothing-boosting activities (No-no to any real modern-technology or high tech programs!!!) and d) 3mln to people, so that $1 per person per year. I sound sarcastic, but it is so close to the real!!!

Hye, the monies allocated from the USA Congress to the fledgling nation of Armenia if far below what it shall have been for a nation that is struggling, as a democracy, to get established since
first freed from the USSR – only 20 years ago… Armenia can be an excellent ally – a dependable
intelligent ally for the USA – and shall be recipients of the more monies such nations as Israel and Egypt and even a Turkey shall receive. Are these payoffs to these nations? Armenia has the potential for greatness whether in their education of the young, whether in the sciences and more. The monies are given to Armenia and then, even taken away… Armenia deserves more
steadfast supports from USA Congress – politically and morally… Manooshag-
to become a steadfast ally of the USA in the Caucusus… these other nations run hot and cold,
allies yes/no – when it suits them.